Ten ways to improve your communications with partners and staff

One thing you can be sure of is that, if you fail to actively communicate, there will be no shortage of rumours and gossip to fill the vacuum.

Failing to communicate regularly with your partners and employees will cause you problems. Unfounded stories, rumours and worst-case thinking will rapidly fill the gap. People are naturally suspicious – more so in uncertain times – and they will come up with their own rationale for actions and events that they don’t understand.

As a leader, you must keep communication frequent. Constant two-way communication is required to offset ambiguity, address confusion and gossip, change attitudes and keep everyone on course.

1. View communication and trust as inseparable

Trust and being trusted are at the heart of everything that you do as a leader. To influence and engage effectively with people, you need to understand them.

At work, everyone weighs up actions and events in terms of the personal impact on them. It’s all too easy to communicate in terms of what matters to you. However, effective engagement should be based on their interests.

Use these opportunities to find out what is on people’s minds. What do they want to know about the firm’s current and future plans?

2. Use a range of communication methods

Explore and use a wide range of ways to communicate with partners and staff (not just the one that you are most comfortable with – they have their preferences, too).

Use emails, breakfast meetings, lunch meetings, brainstorming sessions, face-to-face discussions, briefing notes, newsletters, memos and your firm’s intranet to reach people and keep them informed.

3. Repeat your message, then do it again

Tell people what you want them to know and continue repeating it until people say “enough, understood”. It may take some time for messages to get through. Be careful here.

Initially, they don’t hear, next they don’t understand and then, having discussed it with their colleagues, they don’t believe you. Do not give up – if you stop repeating your message, they will conclude that you were not serious.

4. Be consistent in your message

If you contradict yourself or change part of your message, people will be suspicious, seeing angles that do not exist. Inevitably, they will put their own ‘spin’ on your message. So, avoid overestimating how much people understand and their level of commitment to your ideas and message.

5. Recognise your limitations

Keep in mind that you don’t know all the answers and, more importantly, you do not need to have all the answers and solutions.

I am often struck by how many leaders believe that they have or should know the answer to issues and challenges within their firm. The dangers of adopting this stance are that:

• you can fail to get buy-in;

• it can lead to unnecessary and avoidable tensions, with people taking up positions and things becoming increasingly ‘political’; and

• it can slow down getting your message across to people in a positive and collaborative way.

6. Form focus groups to test new proposals

Where appropriate, bring together a cross section of people, both professional and business support services, from across your firm in focus groups.

Creating and using internal focus groups to talk through and test new proposals, to obtain their ideas and suggestions, and to gain deeper insight into their experiences before taking a final decision, is an excellent way to gain buy-in before making your message public. It also shows that you are really listening and take their contributions seriously.

7. Ignore key players at your peril

Bring together the key players so that you can explore your message with them before communicating with the rest of the firm.

Lack of trust, misunderstanding and crossed wires can be avoided by involving key players before you form a definite opinion or take a final decision. Between them, these groups will also enable you to identify any potential issues and stumbling blocks and how to tackle them.

8. Involve your management board

While key messages should be delivered by you as managing partner, all members of the management board should share responsibility for building effective communication internally. This could take then form of holding three or four ‘meet the board’ meetings annually, which are open to all.

Such meetings are an opportunity for your board to provide updates on key issues and projects. More importantly, staff and partners can raise any issues, ask questions and give first-hand feedback on what is on their minds regarding the firm.

The benefits of these ‘meet the board’ sessions are that it raises the profile of all your management board members and, as a result, that people will approach them rather than always bringing things to you. It can also be eye opening for board members to hear first hand what people think about developments within the firm.

9. Learn how clients communicate internally

Find out about your clients’ communication systems and practices, particularly if you are considering trying something new. The chances are that they will have already tried it and can provide some feedback on what works and what does not. This may give you some fresh ideas too.

10. Share your communication agenda

Publish your communication plan and timetable on your firm’s intranet so that everyone knows what and when you will be in touch.

After each communication, ask for feedback on both your content and the medium that you have used to deliver it. Also invite people to suggest issues and topics for consideration.

Difference between success and failure

A good rule of thumb is that it’s impossible to overcommunicate using different settings and modes of communication. Good communication doesn’t guarantee success, but poor communication does guarantee failure.

Jo Larbie is co-author of How to Make Partner and Still Have a Life (www.howtomakepartner.com)